take your answer off the air...

Talker's MagazineThe quirky talk radio trade mag. Check the Talk Radio Research Project- it's not very scientific, but places on the top 15 talkers list (scroll down to Talk Radio Audiences By Size)) are as hotly contested as Emmys (and mean just about as much).

The AdvocateNo, not THAT Advocate... it's the Northwest Progressive Institute's Official Blog.

Media MattersDocumentation of right-wing media in video, audio and text.

Orcinushome of David Neiwert, freelance investigative journalist and author who writes extensively about far-right hate groups

Hominid Views"People, politics, science, and whatnot"
Darryl is a statistician who fights imperialism with empiricism, gives good links and wry commentary.

Jesus' General An 11 on the Manly Scale of Absolute Gender, a 12 on the Heavenly Scale of the 10 Commandments and a 6 on the earthly scale of the Immaculately Groomed.

Irrational Public Radio "informs, challenges, soothes and/or berates, and does so with a pleasing vocal cadence and unmatched enunciation. When you listen to IPR, integrity washes over you like lava, with the pleasing familiarity of a medium-roast coffee and a sensible muffin."

The Moderate VoiceThe voice of reason in the age of Obama, and the politics of the far-middle.

News Hounds Dogged dogging of Fox News by a team who seems to watch every minute of the cable channel so you don't have to.

HistoryLinkFun to read and free encyclopedia of Washington State history. Founded by the late Walt Crowley, it's an indispensable tool and entertainment source for history wonks and surfers alike.

right-wing blogs we like

The Reagan WingHearin lies the real heart of Washington State Republicans. Doug Parris runs this red-meat social conservative group site which bars no holds when it comes to saying who they are and who they're not; what they believe and what they don't; who their friends are and where the rest of the Republicans can go. Well-written, and flaming.

December 27, 2012

We are still blogging lite due to having yet to completely consume all the cookies and other goodies we baked. Here is a quote from former Bush aide, Mark McKinnon:

Former
Bush aide Mark McKinnon on the incredible shrinking Republican Party:
"Increasingly, it is becoming clear that the party is against everything
and for nothing.

"Nothing on taxes. Nothing on gun control.
Nothing on climate change. Nothing on gay marriage. Nothing on
immigration reform (or an incremental, piece-by-piece approach, which
will result in nothing). It's a very odd situation when the losing party
is the party refusing to negotiate. It may be how you disrupt, but it
is not how you govern, or how you ever hope to regain a majority.

"And so, we have a Republican Party today willing to eliminate any
prospect for a decent future for anyone, including itself, if it cannot
be a future that is 100 percent in accordance with its core beliefs and
principles. That's not governing. That's just lobbing hand grenades. If
you're only standing on principle to appear taller, then you appear
smaller. And the GOP is shrinking daily before our eyes."

With the exception of Noory, these are not your average radio hosts driven towards personality type programming, but rather how can they create a hot topic based on largely the unknown. Some recent topics on Coast to Coast AM: UFO researcher known as the "Crypto Hunter," John Rhodes, discussed
reptilian humanoids along with such topics as enhanced perception, the
Mayan calendar, and Earth changes;

Author and researcher L.A. Marzulli will discuss his on-going work on
the Watchers and the cosmic battle raging around us, including evidence
for the alien hybrid breeding program which combines human and alien
DNA, resulting in hyper-dimensional beings such as the Black-Eyed
Children.

To be fair to Coast to Coast, some recent topics have included the upcoming financial "fiscal cliff" and Noory does read the news headlines at the beginning of each show with quick analysis by experts in the field, giving their synopsis of each item.

Alex getting ready to yell, Mayday!

Austin, TX based Alex Jones show, which has been broadcasting since 1996 and has few radio outlets but a legion of Internet followers world-wide, including celebrity listeners and guests, such as Charlie Sheen, Willie Nelson, Ted Nugent, Jesse Ventura and others with similar views. Jones shtick seems to be all government conspiracies with little room for aliens and the paranormal. Jones considers himself a Libertarian and covers what appears to be attacks on himself or others;

"Piers Morgan Says He's Coming to Conquer America" after Ventura appeared on Morgan's show recently. "

"A few days ago we posted an article
pointing out that director Christopher Nolan’s latest Batman release
“The Dark Knight Rises,” which was recently released on DVD, bizarrely
featured a mention of the words “Sandy Hook” (at approximately 1:58).

Since that “minor coincidence,” we’ve scoured the Batman movies and
pored over various Gotham City maps to find anything that could support
the theory that the movies may have had hints of foreknowledge of the
tragic massacre that occurred last week, because where there’s smoke,
there’s usually fire."

Sometimes topics merge such as "9/11 truthers" and theories on JFK assassination and so-called Police State/New World Order articles appearing on both Coast to Coast and Jones' shows.

Lewis looking Baldwin-like

Clyde Lewis' Ground Zero Radio
which was syndicated this summer, deals with all of the above topics
with Lewis seeing himself as provocateur in all things unexplainable. Some of Lewis' topics are even more bizarre as outlined in this interview recently in Portland's About Face Magazine:

Do you believe earth is being visited by beings from other planets?

Yes.

What is behind that answer? Why do you believe that?

Well, there is a lot of evidence. People say there isn’t any
incredible evidence—you don’t need incredible evidence. It’s about
probability. There are biological entities, or biological creatures,
that live off of things like arsenic; that live in very hostile
temperatures. It is likely that there are advanced life forms in the
universe and that they are traveling here.

Why are they coming here?

I don’t know, I mean, you could give the basic answers. Say they are
here for air, they are here for chlorophyll—chlorophyll, because you
can’t find it on other planets. But I’ll tell why they are here. They
are here to eat us. We are digestives for what they need. We are food.
We are someone else’s property.

You believe we are being farmed?

Yes, I do—for food. We are being farmed for food. We are being farmed
for our organs. There are a lot of things in the human body that are
valuable to them.

Ground Zero has a respectable list of affiliates in the same time slot as C/C which makes us wonder is there room for two at the same time of the night? All three shows have one thing in common. The prepper movement of hawking gold /silver, emergency food supplies (years and years worth) shortwave radios, and books on how to be smarter than your neighbor if the shit hits the fan.

Will the fascination with end times/ conspiracy radio hit the wall soon enough with more prophecies being debunked or will new events create topics to keep listeners awake?

As ad revenues decline in other formats, and the increasingly supersaturation of Talk/Sports shows, stations look to stay alive with little imagination to the personality radio of the past.

December 16, 2012

We go back to December 2000 in a show originally broadcast on AM 880 KIXI, staring Chris Wedes (JP Patches) and Bob Newman (better known as J.P.'s pal Gertrude)

Wedes plays a Frederick & Nelson department store doorman, while Newman is the F&N Santa Claus. A family tries to visit the downtown Seattle Frederick's for their Christmas Eve ritual, but a snowstorm ensues.

The action is set in 1954, and also stars Tracey Conway, Dave Dolacky, Bob Brooks and Jim Dai.
Sound effects were performed by David Persson.

The show was written, produced and directed by Feliks Banel. It was recorded before a live audience in Seattle a few hours before the broadcast.

Seattle
Radio Theatre--are also doing a new live show this Fri, Dec 21 at 8pm
at Town Hall and on AM 1090 with Pat Cashman, John Maynard, Tracey
Conway, Jim Dever, etc.).

"I
will not be on the air tonight. I can't do it. I cannot sit behind a
microphone and talk about yet another incomprehensible act of gun
violence - this time against the complete innocence and vulnerability of
children.

There are no words that can be said to provide any
sort of comfort to the parents, grandparents, sisters and brothers of
the children murdered in the sanctuary of a school classroom. The pain
they will feel is beyond description - there is no way to express this
sort of horror.

As for me . . . I am choking on the tears and
anguish that other parents - those whose children were not murdered this
bright Winter's day - must be feeling.

So . . .

The
"best of" program Kathy has for tonight dealt with a different
shooting, not quite one year ago. I will try to be back on the air
Monday.

Today's mass murder of children and their adult
caretakers can be - and should be - seen as the NRA's holiday gift to
America. How else to comprehend any of this?"

December 12, 2012

Former Entercom employee Steve Forsyth
(pictured) was one of the two people killed in a Portland, Oregon, mall
by 22-year-old Jacob Tyler Roberts who also killed himself. Mr.
Forsyth recently opened a kiosk in the mall which was near the Macy's
where the shootings took place. He also owned a marketing agency in
Portland. Mr. Forsyth was shopping with his wife and two kids when he
was killed. Entercom CEO David Field said, “We are heartbroken. This
senseless, tragic murder struck down a truly wonderful human being in
the prime of his life. Steve was a highly talented man with a zest for
life and a terrific sense of humor. He loved his family dearly. Our
thoughts and prayers are with his family and all of those who loved
him.”

December 10, 2012

We've heard her voice over the last few years on AM 1090, but with the kerfuffle about progressive talk leaving Jan 2 and the change in call signs to KFNQ, we just haven't heard about the traffic backups in the morning at "Jovita" or the snarky eco minute updates. Jon Nelson is filling in lately.

About the only thing Lee Callahan related are the ads for Zip Lines on Camano Island.

December 05, 2012

We knew about the departure of KJR 950's Mike Gastineau since earlier this week--we probably should of seen the writing on the wall for Ken Schram, since the budget cuts at Fisher this year reduced his presence to small radio commentaries and TV 4 "Schrammie" awards.

"My position here at KOMO 4 News has been eliminated," Schram wrote on his Facebook page Wednesday morning. "Today is the last 'Schrammie' and next Monday will be my last commentary.

"I'd be less than candid if I didn't acknowledge how disappointed I
am to have my 35+ year career at KOMO end this way. Still it's been a
great run. I don't know what the future holds, but I'll keep you posted
here on Facebook. Thanks for all the years that you've allowed me to
share."

In a 2001 P-I feature story, Schram said he tries to answer each of
the hundreds of e-mails he receives, even the ones calling into question
his sanity or his parentage. He said it's part of his desire to make a
connection, to provoke thought.

Schram spent nearly two decades writing and reading KOMO editorials
on the air and hosted "Town Meeting' for 18 years until it was canceled
in 1999.

As far as Mike Gastineau his seperation was voluntary according to his statement from KJR:

Sports Radio 950 KJR AM, Seattle’s live and local sports
station, announced today that Afternoon Drive Host, Mike “Gasman”
Gastineau, has announced he will leave the station after more than 21
years as a talk show host. Gastineau’s final show will air on Thursday,
December 6, 2012 from 3-7:00 p.m. PST.

“I can’t thank Mike enough – both personally and professionally, for
his talent, dedication and passion. Mike has been a pillar for Sports
Radio KJR and a sports icon in the Seattle market,” said Rich Moore,
Program Director, Sports Radio KJR. “His voice on Sports Talk in the
afternoon will be missed and his relationship with listeners in the
market will not be forgotten. We wish him nothing but the best in his
next chapter.”

Gastineau arrived in Seattle in June of 1991. KJR made the switch to
an all Sports Talk format in October 1991, when he teamed up with Rick
DuPree to co-host the midday show. Since September 1993 Gastineau has
anchored the afternoon drive which led him to the center of discussions
that helped shape public opinion to build Safeco Field, CenturyLink
Field, Emerald Downs and more recently the proposed new basketball arena
in SoDo. Gastineau also spearheaded a yearly auction, the “KJR
Kares-a-thon,” which has raised more than $1.5 million over 17 years for
various Puget Sound charities.

KVI am 570 KHz Visit the burnt-out husk of one of the seminal right-wing talkers in all the land. Here's where once trilled the reactionary tones of Rush Limbaugh, John Carlson, Kirby Wilbur, Mike Siegel, Peter Weissbach, Floyd Brown, Dinky Donkey, and Bryan Suits.
Now it's Top 40 hits from the '60's & '70's aimed at that diminishing crowd who still remembers them and can still hear.

KTTH am 770 KHzRight wing home of local, and a whole bunch of syndicated righties such as Glennn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Michael Medved, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Lars Larsony, and for an hour a day: live & local David Boze.